Vegan Mexican Food

Vegan Mexican food is one of the easiest foods to make at home or order at a restaurant. This is because Mexican food recipes are based primarily on beans and rice. Many Mexican dishes are easily made vegan without much modification.

Traditional Mexican food uses a lot of meat, cheese, and lard (for cooking), but these things aren’t necessary for a satisfying Mexican meal. This is because vegetables, beans, and rice have always been the backbone of most Mexican dishes.

Staple Mexican Foods & Dishes

Staple vegan Mexican foods include corn or wheat tortillas, rice, beans, avocado, salsa, pickled vegetables, cactus, agave, peppers, limes, cilantro, chili peppers, and mole.

Staple vegan Mexican dishes include guacamole, veggie tacos, veggie burritos, vegan enchiladas, vegan tamales, vegan tortas, and vegan huaraches.

Dining Out at a Mexican Restaurant

Dining out at a Mexican restaurant can be a bit tricky as a vegan. This is because certain Mexican foods are traditionally prepared with animal products like lard or chicken stock.

What to Ask:

Are your tortillas fried in lard?
Do your beans contain pork or lard?
Is your rice boiled in chicken stock?
Does your guacamole contain sour cream?

What to Order & How to Order It:

Burrito
Tacos
Chips & Guacamole
Huarache
Tortas
Tamales
Enchilada

Ask your server not to include cheese, sour cream, dairy-based sauces, or any kind of meat. Certain dishes (such as chilaquiles) contain egg and are better not to order at all because removing the egg changes the dish too much.

Some places will allow you to swap avocado for the meat at no extra charge, which is a pretty nice perk. Other common meat substitutions at Mexican restaurants are vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes, and even tofu at some places.